The Miles Between- Who We Are And What We Were (2007)

In music, especially in hardcore punk, honesty is the best policy. Those who aren’t true to the scene normally switch genres or die. The beautiful part about a lot of straight edge hardcore is that they have so much heart, and it really comes through in their music. Absolutely no exception is The Miles Between, the late hardcore band from Massachusetts. Words can’t describe how much I miss them.

Tackling issues from religion to overcoming defeat, The Miles Between brought the heat with the passion of a thousand burning suns. Though only 6 songs, released on Seventh Dagger Records (a label close to my heart), Who We Are And What We Were could knock a couple of full-lengths out of the water. The best part about The Miles Between is that they are definitely hardcore, but they are above the standard, tough-guy, beatdown nonsense that’s been running rampant through the scene. In fact, their albums promote unity and self-respect, but without the early 90’s, positive hardcore feel. The best tracks on the album are “March of the Marionette”, a resentful look at the world consumed by religion, and “Molotov Cocktease”, a witty named song with killer breakdowns and the most empowering crowd vocals at the end of the song.

Yes, The Miles Between has ended, but their message lives on far beyond the grave. This world is an ugly one, and we can only rely on ourselves to clean up this mess. Hardcore isn’t a trend, it’s not just a sound, it’s a glimpse of modern society: the wrong and the rights, what parts to embrace and which to throw away. This is one of my favorite Seventh Dagger releases, and will be in my collection for years to come.